Douglas Cos. Inc.

Founded in 1973, the family-owned Douglas Cos. is now one of the leading providers of convenience products in the Midsouth. It offers more than 10,000 items — including snacks, drinks, tobacco, confections, health and beauty supplies, groceries and automotive supplies — to 1,200 convenience store clients in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

“What sets us apart is we’re a more regional company, and we are able to respond to our customers and provide a level of customer service that the majority of our competitors are not able to,” said Susie Munson, COO and the daughter of founder Bob Douglas.

Douglas “embraced technology and automation in our industry before many others adopted these practices. This led to accelerated growth for our company and we continue to follow his example — always looking for more ways to be more efficient,” the company said.

The third generation of the family is now involved in Douglas Cos., which employs 155 workers.